Outriggers are useful when trolling for surface fish. Outriggers are generally deployed on sport fishing boats where they assist in covering a larger fishing area, enabling the use of a plurality of lines, and thereby improving the chances for making a catch.
Outriggers are most commonly seen on offshore and Great Lakes fishing boats. Generally, outrigger assemblies are formed from fixed or telescoping poles, which are swung outward at a wide angle (generally 90°) from the boat. The use of outriggers allow for a spread of multiple lines adjusted behind the boat to avoid tangling. Outriggers are generally mounted on the side or top of a cabin or T-Top, on radar arches, or on the gunwale.
In some instances, the outrigger assemblies are stored vertically, and released when it is desired to lower them to an effective trolling position. An alternative design mounts the outriggers above the T-top. A handle, which may extend below the T-top, is turned from within the cabin or below the T-top in order to swing the outriggers outward and away from the boat to their deployed trolling position. The storage and running position of T-top outriggers is a straight-back position, which facilitates passing under low bridges, trailering, and the like.
It is common to use outriggers to troll both hooked baits and “teaser” baits. Teasers are generally set out to draw fish up close to the surface, at which point the fish can be coaxed to take one of the several hooked baits in the spread behind the teasers. When teasers are deployed from the same outriggers as the rest of the spread, it can often be difficult to retract the teasers while fish are hitting the hooked baits. Another problem is getting the teasers out of the way when it becomes necessary to fight a fish while walking around the boat or back and forth through the cockpit.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides an outrigger assembly where the telescoping outrigger poles reside in an assembly that positions them in a horizontally opposed configuration. In an embodiment, the assembly is positioned below the T-top of a boat, forward of the helm area, where the captain of the vessel can easily deploy and retract the teaser rigs while the remainder of the crew is free to fight the fish in the cockpit area. In such an embodiment the telescoping poles may be easily retracted to conform to the width of the boat for docking and to navigate in narrow channels to avoid any collisions.